The IDEAL Conference 2020 is currently postponed.

2019 Speakers

Shiza Shahid

Shiza Shahid is an entrepeneur, technologist, investor and impact leader.

Shiza Shahid

Founder, NowVentures
Co-Founder & Founding CEO, Malala Fund

Shiza is a renowned for her work, receiving many awards as a thought leader. She was named one of TIME’s “30 Under 30 People Changing the World,” Forbes “30 Under 30 - Social Entrepreneurs” and a Tribeca Institute Disruptive Innovator.

Abbie Schiller + Samantha Counter

Founder & CEO Abbie Schiller, President Samantha Counter

Abbie Schiller + Samantha Kurtzman-Counter

Founder & CEO Abbie Schiller, President Samantha Counter

Founder & CEO Abbie Schiller partnered with Samantha Counter (President) to launch The Mother Company 10 years ago. With the mission to Help Parents Raise Good People, they redefined children’s entertainment with their Emmy award winning Ruby’s Studio, co-wrote 11 award-winning children’s books, and partnered with CCRC to release their first bilingual book. They are featured across all forms of media as successful entrepreneurs & parenting experts.

Warren Riley

Warren Riley is President of NPO Solutions and author of The Resource Development Systems.

Warren Riley

President of NPO Solutions

Warren has served as a strategic planning expert for more than two decades. His book, The Resource Development System, has transformed hundreds of nonprofit organizations across the country. As a leader and entrepreneur, Warren works with visionary executive directors and boards of directors seeking to build capacity within their organizations to advance their missions.

Saeed H. Mirfattah, M.A., CPCC

Saeed Mirfattah, M.A., CPCC is the founder of The 360 Impact

Saeed H. Mirfattah, M.A., CPCC

Founder of The 360 Impact

Saeed is the founder of The 360 Impact, a consulting firm dedicated to developing leaders, coaching teams, and transforming culture. His expertise is shaped by over three decades of executive leadership, management, coaching, facilitation and training experience on various sides of the table: for-profit and non-profit, public and private. He has built and run his own enterprises, served on nonprofit boards, consulted to leaders, CEOs, entrepreneurs and startups as well as philanthropists and foundations. He has worked locally, nationally and internationally in small, medium and large sized organizations.

Thomas E. Backer, PhD

Thomas E. Backer, PhD is Senior Research Fellow, CSUN, and Executive Director of CSUN Valley Nonprofit Resources

Thomas E. Backer, PhD

Senior Research Fellow, California State University Northridge and Executive Director of CSUN Valley Nonprofit Resources

Thomas E. Backer, PhD, author of more than 500 books, is Senior Research Fellow, California State University Northridge, and Executive Director of CSUN Valley Nonprofit Resources. His PhD in psychology is from UCLA, where he also is Associate Clinical Professor of Medical Psychology at UCLA Medical School.
Speaker Jane Davidson

Jane Davidson

Attorney at Tucker Ellis LLP

Jane Davidson

Attorney at Tucker Ellis LLP

Jane is an attorney at Tucker Ellis LLP where she specializes in intellectual property and privacy law. Before joining Tucker Ellis, Jane ran a brand development and social media consulting company where she managed the online presence of non-profits, musicians, influencers, and events.
Speaker Joseph Guimera

Joseph Guimera

Joseph Guimera is an attorney and CEO of Guimeralaw Advisors

Joseph Guimera

Joseph Guimera is an attorney and CEO of Guimeralaw Advisors

Joseph Guimera is an attorney and CEO of Guimeralaw Advisors, where he works with organizations to develop and express strategic vision, foster innovation, allocate resources, and resolve difficult issues. Prior to founding Guimeralaw Advisors, he was a partner at Guimera & Guimera A Law Corporation.

Sylvia Melena

Sylvia Melena is the Founder & CEO of Melena Consulting Group.

Sylvia Melena

Founder & CEO, Melena Consulting Group

Sylvia is the award-winning author of Supportive Accountability: How to Inspire People and Improve Performance. Her book has sold in five continents and has been used in graduate and undergraduate university courses in executive leadership. She has been featured by the Society of Human Resources Management’s HR Today, the Human Performance Association, LEADx, Entrepreneur, Fit Small Business, and other outlets.

Lynnette Ward

Career Consultant

Lynnette Ward

Career Consultant

Lynnette Ward believes in the power to choose our work. She has a unique ability to motivate and influence others to take action and adapt to change. Her specialties are in leadership, management & career development, and she coaches individuals across to build lifelong strategies and execute successful career development plans. Her expertise in communication & employee development combines to provide the insight to help individuals develop behaviors for success.

Donna Sneeringer, MPA

Donna Sneeringer is Director of Government Relations at the Child Care Resource Center

Donna Sneeringer, MPA

Director of Government Relations at CCRC

Donna Sneeringer is Director of Government Relations for the Child Care Resource Center and provides Government Relations support to both the Child Care Alliance of Los Angeles and the CA State Head Start Association. Ms. Sneeringer holds a Masters Degree in Public Administration and Graduate Certificate in Political Management from the University of Southern California, and a Bachelors Degree in Child Development from California State University, Northridge.
Speaker Jordan Shuler

Jordan Shuler

Digital Marketing Specialist

Jordan Shuler

Digital Marketing Specialist

As a Business Marketing graduate, Jordan has made choices, both personally and professionally, that have put her skill set and knowledge to work towards the greater good. Currently, Jordan acts as a marketing and fundraising board member for a San Diego based nonprofit and is a part of the Community Boost Consulting team, a digital marketing agency that exists to empower social ventures changing the world. Community Boost's purpose-driven team specializes in using the power of digital marketing to increase supporters, volunteer and donors for nonprofits all over the nation.

Andria Zaverl

Andria Zaverl is Research Manager at Child Care Resource Center

Andria Zaverl

Research Manager at Child Care Resource Center

Andria Zaverl has a Master's degree in Health Behavior Research and Evaluation from Claremont Graduate University and a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Chapman University. She has over 9 years of experience in research and evaluation working with non-profit organizations. She has conducted numerous capacity building trainings on research and evaluation and has created various reports to funders and stakeholders using data visualization techniques to convey findings.
Speaker Patrick Stanley

Patrick Stanley

Patrick Stanley is Research Manager at the Child Care Resource Center

Patrick Stanley

Research Manager at the Child Care Resource Center

Patrick Stanley loves to help others do their jobs better & more effectively - he has worked to build the capacity of individuals & organizations across public health, early childhood, and private sectors in research, evaluation, organizational development, and technology. He graduated from Claremont Graduate University with a M.A. in Psychology and has since developed and implemented countless surveys utilizing research-based survey design to get the most value out of each, and has taught various groups how to do the same.

Stephanie Cortez

Stephanie Cortez is Research Analyst I at the Child Care Resource Center

Stephanie Cortez

Research Analyst I at the Child Care Resource Center

Stephanie Cortez’s experience in program implementation and support within the agency has played an integral role in her current position in the Research Division. She earned a BA in Sociology with emphasis on social work and society from CSUN and studied child development to obtain her AA from LA Mission College. She’s worked in numerous data driven projects using various data visualization platforms to deliver informative and visually pleasing and engaging reports.

Ben Patwa

Sales & Leadership Keynote Speaker. Corporate Consultant and creator of Journey-Based Selling™

Ben Patwa

Sales & Leadership Keynote Speaker. Corporate Consultant and creator of Journey-Based Selling™

Ben is a sought after Keynote Speaker on Journey-Based Selling & Values-Driven Communication. His sales and communication training has helped clients increase sales by over 30% and have combined earnings of $134B+. His signature Spark the Stage training has helped accelerate the exposure of hundreds of conference speakers and 40 TEDx Talks.

Pete Weldy

Pete Weldy serves as the Public Policy Officer at Silicon Valley Community Foundation

Pete Weldy

Public Policy Officer, Silicon Valley Community Foundation

Pete Weldy serves as the Public Policy Officer at Silicon Valley Community Foundation. In this position Pete focuses on building strategic relationships with external partners including business, labor, government and nonprofits to galvanize support for expanding high-quality early learning experiences for children. He also leads the Choose Children 2018 campaign, which sought to make early childhood policies and investments a top priority for California's next governor.

Genein Letford

Genein Letford is Award winning speaker, creative consultant and the founder of Alumni360 and the EntreArts Program

Genein Letford

Award winning speaker, creative consultant and the founder of Alumni360 and the EntreArts Program

Genein is a leading voice in the areas of creative and financial literacy. She is a creative arts lecturer at CSUN and has taught music and the creative arts for almost fifteen years. In 2017, she launched EntreArts, an entrepreneurship camp that combines creativity training with business training for low income youth. She enjoys assisting individuals and organizations restore their creative core abilities to prepare for the ‘future of work’.

Zack Schuler

Zack Schuler is Founder & CEO of NINJIO

Zack Schuler

Zack Schuler is Founder & CEO of NINJIO

Zack Schuler is an entrepreneur who has been in the technology space for over 20 years. Zack started his first business (Cal Net Technology Group) when he was 21 years old, as a one-man network engineer going from business to business, assisting them with their technology. Over the next 18 years Zack grew Cal Net to almost 100 employees producing close to $20M in annual revenue. Knowing that there was more in store for Zack, he sold Cal Net in October of 2013 to a Private Equity Firm.

Michael Olenick, Ph.D.

Dr. Michael Olenick is President & CEO of the Child Care Resource Center

Michael Olenick, Ph.D.

President & CEO of the Child Care Resource Center

Dr. Michael Olenick oversees all programs, projects, and services provided to over 50,000 children and families each month across 22,500 square miles. For more than three decades, Michael has served on numerous boards and committees at the county, state and national level. He is a member of the Speaker of the Assembly Blue Ribbon Commission on Early Childhood Education, and was elected to serve on the Board of Directors of Zero to Three, the nation’s premier voice for babies.

Ellen Cervantes, MSW

Ellen Cervantes is the Vice President & Chief Operating Officer of the Child Care Resource Center

Ellen Cervantes, MSW

Vice President & Chief Operating Officer of the Child Care Resource Center

Ellen Cervantes began working at CCRC in 2002 when the agency had three contracts and about 400 staff. Her question is always “what else can we do for children and families?” Over the years those programs have grown, adding additional services, contracts, regions and staff to where CCRC serves northern Los Angeles County and all of San Bernardino County with nearly 1,000 staff. Ellen believes her purpose in life is to make the world a better place, and she chooses to do so by strengthening families while innovating how it’s done.

Pegi Matsuda

Pegi Matsuda is Founder of Pegi Matsuda Consulting, LLC

Pegi Matsuda

Founder of Pegi Matsuda Consulting, LLC

Pegi is an enthusiastic business and community leader with 30+ years of experience during times of significant industry challenge. She’s led change in several industries including telecommunications, natural gas, publishing, a membership organization and health care. Pegi holds an MA in Organizational Leadership from Woodbury University, a BS in Human Relations & Organizational Behavior from the University of San Francisco, and the designation of Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) from CFRE International.

Quinn Banks

Sr. Technical Product Manager – Mobile at Ring

Quinn Banksn

Sr. Technical Product Manager – Mobile at Ring

Quinn is dedicated to discovering and developing digital technologies which provide the best experience for mobile app users. His experience provides him with unique insights into how implementation of new technologies can increase customer adoption and end user satisfaction. This has led to a mobile first transformation within his company which has improved customer experience through the delivery of a constantly evolving mobile app experience.

John Bwarie

John Bwarie is Founder & CEO of Stratiscope

John Bwarie

Founder & CEO of Stratiscope

Through his company, Stratiscope, John leverages community intelligence to advance the goals of businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies. He launches initiatives that engage millions, including the Great ShakeOut and Clean Air Day, develops and executes engagement programs that span sectors, and works with communities to develop their resilience to natural disasters. He advises executives, scientists, elected officials, and board members on the power and necessity of community.

Krischa Esquivel

Early Learning Manager

Krischa Esquivel

Early Learning Manager

Krischa has 22+ years of experience managing and leading non-profit programs. Her expertise on non-traditional parenting and leadership development, has led to keynote presentations, a number of podcast guest spots, and she recently completed a TedX talk on Treating Our Children Better. Krischa works with other professionals to publish a college textbook for the California Junior Colleges on Diversity & Inclusion for all Early Care and Education students and sits on the Board of Directors for a charter school in the San Fernando Valley.

Henry Gascon

Henry Gascon is Director, Program and Policy Development at United Ways of California

Henry Gascon

Director, Program and Policy Development at United Ways of California

Mr. Gascon conducts policy research and analysis, leads communication strategies and assists with organizational operations. He is a co-author of Struggling to Get By: The Real Cost Measure in California 2015 which introduces a new poverty measure that conveys the true cost of living in California's communities and promotes the Human Development Index. Previously, he was a Policy Analyst at Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority and the Director of NPower Los Angeles.

Amy Malin

Amy Malin is Partner at Trueheart

Amy Malin

Partner at Trueheart

Social entrepreneur Amy Malin works at the intersection of Hollywood and philanthropy. Her expertise is in connecting celebrities with deserving non-profits to raise millions of dollars for their noble causes (such as children’s healthcare, disaster relief, female empowerment), and creating global media campaigns that shine a spotlight on their wonderful work. Trueheart is a full-service creative agency specializing in the production of exceptional events, talent engagement, public relations campaigns, social impact streams and digital content. She has worked with clients including, Children’s Hospital LA, The Make-A-Wish Foundation of America, Coca-Cola, and more!

Francisco Solis

Francisco is a GIS Analyst at the Child Care Resource Center (CCRC)

Francisco Solis

GIS Analyst at the Child Care Resource Center

Francisco is a GIS Analyst at the Child Care Resource Center (CCRC). He creates maps about children & child care providers, including suitability maps for CCRC leadership to make informed decisions and online maps to share data publicly. He has presented and taught people how to use GIS and how it can be applied to their work. Prior to his work at CCRC, he presented a demographic profile to the board members of the Rose Park Neighborhood Association in Long Beach.

Dee (Delisa) Taylor

Dee Taylor is the founder and CEO of Posh Furniture Rental and Design

Dee (Delisa) Taylor

Founder and CEO of Posh Furniture Rental and Design

Dee Taylor is the founder and CEO of Posh Furniture Rental and Design. She has been in the business for 20+ years and manages clients such as Sony Pictures, Nintendo of America, Facebook, Toyota, and the Grammy Awards. She is also known as a LinkedIn expert - where she single handedly grew her company’s exposure from 430 clients to 14,000, within a 2-year period. She studied LinkedIn for two solid years exclusively and has unlocked the secrets to creating a massive brand that gets your products DIRECTLY to decision makers without time consuming -gate keepers.

Jackie Thu-Huong Wong, M.S.W

Vice President of Policy and Advocacy, GRACE, Inc.

Jackie Thu-Huong Wong, M.S.W

Vice President of Policy and Advocacy, GRACE, Inc.

Jackie Wong is the Vice President at GRACE, Inc. a project of the Daughters of Charity and she leads the advocacy efforts for End Child Poverty California. Prior, she served as Statewide Director for the Foster Youth Services Coordinating Program at the California Department of Education (CDE), where she works across departments, State agencies, school districts, county offices of education and with education equity stakeholders.

Ned Lederer

Consultant at NPO Solutions

Ned Lederer

Consultant at NPO Solutions

Ned’s work at NPO Solutions centers on leadership coaching and strategy development across different nonprofits and public agencies. He brings nonprofit experience in the areas of public health, public education, and youth development. His work and passion centers around supporting leaders with conceptual frameworks and practical guidance for making systemic change. He holds a Masters of Public Policy from Harvard University, and an undergraduate degree from Stanford University.

Rhea Triñanes

Director of Programs at LA Promise Fund

Rhea Triñanes

Director of Programs at LA Promise Fund

Rhea Triñanes is the Director of Programs at LA Promise Fund where she leads high-impact education programming, connecting untapped resources with underserved youth in LA County. As an organizational design consultant, Rhea also works with organizations to develop culture enhancement strategies to build inclusive, collaborative work environments and effective social impact practices. Rhea holds an M.S. in Social Entrepreneurship from the USC Marshall School of Business.

Karla Pleitéz Howell

Managing Director of Policy and Programs

Karla Pleitéz Howell

Managing Director of Policy and Programs

Karla Pleitéz Howell is a civil rights advocate with over a decade of public interest law and policy advocacy experience. She drives the creation of the organization’s strategic policy agenda and oversees the execution of high-impact policy campaigns at the state and local levels. She previously served as Advancement Project California’s Director of the Educational Equity Program where she led strategy development to assure that education public investments align with community needs. Karla is a proud UCLA Bruin and holds a J.D. from U.C. Hastings.

Jessica Salinas

Associate Partner, Stat Zero

Jessica Salinas

Associate Partner, Stat Zero

Jessica Salinas is Associate Partner at Stat Zero, a global investment fund working towards achieving zero. There, she co-leads investments in emerging technologies, social enterprises, and underrepresented founders. Previously, she was the founding Social Impact Lead at Headspace and the founding Director of the Stanford Latino Entrepreneurship Initiative Education Program. Jessica serves on the Board of Words Uncaged, which provides programming for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals in LA. Jessica received her BA in Communication from Stanford and her MS in Social Entrepreneurship at USC Marshall School of Business.

Paul Krekorian

Los Angeles City Council Member

Paul Krekorian

Los Angeles City Council Member

Born and raised in the San Fernando Valley, Paul Krekorian has spent more than a decade in public service. Since 2010, he has served on the Los Angeles City Council where his leadership of the Budget and Finance Committee helped guide the city through the Great Recession. Paul also serves on the board of the LA County Metropolitan Transit Authority, Metrolink and the San Fernando Valley Council of Governments.

He is the first Armenian-American to be elected in the City of Los Angeles.
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